West Gosforth Ward

Under boundary changes to be implemented in May 2018, West Gosforth Ward will be split into two parts : Fawdon and West Gosforth Ward and Gosforth Ward. West Gosforth ward will exist only as part of the Newcastle Central constituency at the next Parliamentary election

You can meet Liberal Democrats councillors on Gosforth High Street Street Surgery (directly outside main entrance to shopping centre) - 1st Saturday each month (except Bank Holidays) - 10.00am to 12 noon - look out for our stall, where representatives from Gosforth, Fawdon and West Gosforth, Dene and South Gosforth and Parklands Wards meet local people from across Gosforth.

At the current time politics as usual is not appropriate. The utmost priority is the safety and welfare of all Newcastle's citizens and we will work with the council and partner organisations to safeguard this.

Newcastle Liberal Democrat councillors are working from home to support the community and neighbour networks that have been established in many neighbourhoods in the wards we represent. We aim to ensure that older and vulnerable constituents receive any assistance they need at this time, whilst staying aware of the need to comply with the Government's instructions on staying at home and social distancing - like the gulls in the picture!

The effect of car engines idling near schools is under increasing scrutiny. As well as damaging young lings and health, the latest research shows that drivers are poisoning themselves too. Liberal Democrats are campaigning to get drivers to turn off their engines when stopped near schools by persuasion at the moment. This poster outside a local school shows all the problems that arise from the practice of not turning off.

What is the true cost of the reduction in the number of litter bins across the City by the Labour run Council?

At last Cabinet Members and Service Directors have decided to come out of the Civic Centre to see what residents and we have been complaining about all this time.

They are annoyed about what it looks like. But what about the impact? Here are some examples observed by Liberal Democrats councillors who are often out and about in their wards litterpicking, frequently with local volunteers :

"It seems the Home Secreatry will talk about anything to tackle knife crime except the one thing that communities most desperately need: more police officers", says Ed Davey, who leads for the Liberal Democrats in Parliament on Home Affairs .

"The Home Office's own analysis shows that the Tories' excessive police cuts have contributed to the rise in serious violence, yet the Home Secretary stubbornly refuses to fund forces properly so they can put more officers on our streets.

"Tackling this knife crime epidemic does require a public health approach, but police are an integral part of that approach. How on earth does Javid expect police officers to spend more time working with youth workers and other agencies when they're already hugely overstretched?

"The Liberal Democrats demand better. The Government must urgently give local police forces the funding they need to recruit more officers and restore the community policing that prevents crime and keeps us safe."

I. Introduction
Newcastle Liberal Democrats hold firm to the values of the wider Liberal Democrat party. Our national vision is set out in the preamble to our party's federal constitution:
The Liberal Democrats exist to build and safeguard a fair, free and open society, in which we seek to balance the fundamental values of liberty, equality and community, and in which no-one shall be enslaved by poverty, ignorance or conformity.
In Newcastle, we aim to stay true to our national vision.
In all that we say and do, we will strive to be open, tolerant and united and to demand better for the residents of our city.
We add one more proviso to our vision locally in our desire to be close to the communities in which we serve, to listen to local people, to work with community organisations, and to act on their behalf where it is possible to do so, in line with our Liberal Democrat principles.
We believe passionately that our focus as a local party and actions should be rooted in communities.

Here's what Cllr Colin Ferguson (pictured with Cllr Phil Hall, right, who chairs the Budget and Finance Scrutiny Committee) said in launching the Liberal Democrats' approach to Newcastle's 2019 budget which saw Labour hiking Council Tax by 3.95% and cutting services by £20 million, highlighting that the budget is based upon Labour's choices.

The full response of Liberal Democrats councillor in Gosforth, Peter Lovatt, was : "Great North Road is already congested at times of rush hour. A reduction in speed limit is a positive step for road safety on Gt North Rd, however this scheme needs to be fully thought through with appropriate signage directing road users to alternative A routes, but not encouraging the use of B, C and D routes. Motorists are already taking the easy option to divert onto side roads, due to the congestion on Gt North Rd. We don't want to see a further increase in traffic on our side roads especially at a time when we are promoting safe routes to school and walking schemes. This scheme needs a full investigation to mitigate the shift in load onto our side streets and ensure the continued safety of our children and wider community."

The statement by the three local councils (reproduced in full below) is a massive political cop-out and an abject failure of political leadership on the issue of the dangers of the air quality on our Tyneside streets.

Cllr Greg Stone, who speaks on transport and air quality issues for the Liberal Democrats, said "Other cities are dealing with the same challenges and the likes of Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, and Birmingham are consulting on their clean air charging proposals for polluting diesel emissions, not making excuses. We recognise that the A1 Western Bypass needs a national Highways Agency approach, but Newcastle, Gateshead, and North Tyneside had the opportunity to set out by the end of last year how they proposed to reduce emissions on the local network without a clean air charging scheme and have failed to do so.

Newcastle Liberal Democrats would like to hear from you about domestic waste and public litter bins to inform our response to the City Council'c review of its waste strategy and our manifesto for the 2019 elections. So we invite you to complete the survey which can be found at here

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